Christmas Movies

John Hughes is undisputedly, the King of Christmas movies. Out of my hastily assembled top ten below he has written five.

I’d welcome additions. These are not in any particular order, although I do believe the Home Alone series and Scrooged to be the pick of the bunch.

1. Home Alone (John Hughes)
2. Home Alone 2 (John Hughes)
3. National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (John Hughes)
4. Scrooged
5. How the Grinch Stole Christmas
6. The Nightmare Before Christmas
7. Elf
8. Miracle of 34th Street (John Hughes)
9. Four Holidays
10. Planes, Trains and Automobiles (John Hughes)

Other John Hughes movies that could just as easily make the list include Uncle Buck, The Great Outdoors and the rest of the Home Alone series.

The Lady Eve

The Director of The Lady Eve, Preston Sturges', own life is almost as unlikely as the plot of The Lady Eve, which is a highly enjoyable screwball comedy with Peter Fonda and an absolute cracker of a performance from Barbara Stanwick. Sturges (pictured above with the stars of The Lady Eve) was born into a wealthy family and at various stages of his career he was an inventor (he invented a kissproof lipstick, Red-Red Rouge, in 1920), a stage-hand, a US Army signal officer, a screen writer (although he died in 1959 one of his works was filmed as recently as 1984 – Unfaithfully Yours, with Dudley Moore and Nasstasja Kinski) and, of course, a director. Stanwick plays a beautiful card sharp, at first intent on fleecing the boyishly naïve, Peter Fonda, but then falling in love with him. It has all the twists and turns of the inspired screwball and some well timed slapstick.

Jules et Jim

Its certainly a fascinating film. Although I did not hugely enjoy watching it, it has stayed with me. I have thought back on these characters and their motivations and have replayed some of the scenes in my mind many times. I did not find Jeanne Moreau's character likable. She seemed to me self centred and not deserving of the love of these two friends, Jules and Jim, whose friendship and lives are ruined because of her. I found it hard to believe that two attractive, sophisticated men would bother with her. Still, there is much to like about Truffaut's famous new wave offering. There is undeniably a lightness about the way the story is told, which still seems fresh after almost fifty years. I can imagine it causing a stir in 1961. Its the perfect parable of the 6os. Starting off full of fun and adventure and ending in tragedy.

The Hustler

Pool hustler Fast Eddie Felson is not only one of Paul Newman’s greatest roles but also one of the greatest and most vividly remembered roles in movie history. The credibility and integrity of his portrayal of the talented young pool player is beyond question. It’s a pitch-perfect movie. It tells of Felson’s internal struggle, failures and ultimate redemption through a series of brilliantly filmed episodes set mainly in dingy pool halls, hotel rooms and apartments. The pool hall scenes are wonderfully atmospheric. Shooting in Black & White was undoubtedly the right choice. Its testament to the quality of the supporting cast that they are not completely overshadowed by Newman’s performance. Jackie Gleason, Piper Laurie and George C Scott are all excellent and bring their characters to vivid life. A top class movie. 25 years later Newman reprised the role of Fast Eddy in The Colour of Money with Tom Cruise. Ironically this second and inferior outing is where he won his only Oscar.

007: Quantum of Solace

A great action movie, but not at all a Bond film. Let’s be clear, there is little to complain about with QoS as an entertainment. The action sequences are breathtaking, the acting is top-notch, it has a reasonable, if somewhat convoluted plot. But it has almost nothing that makes it a Bond film. Bond has been stripped of all the things that make him Bond. The wit, the style, the gadgets, the locations (the action takes place in some glamorous spots, but due to the close cropped filming of the action we get to see very little scenery), the martinis, the cars (ok - there is an Austin Martin at the beginning but its pretty much destroyed before we get a chance to look at it). The irony is that Daniel Craig is a great (perhaps the best ever) Bond. I don’t believe that the impact of his performance would be diminished by lightening up a little. Previous Bonds, particularly Roger Moore, appeared to be enjoying themselves. It’s a hard job being a secret agent, but there was time for some enjoyment. Craig is all work and no play. He can hardly go to the loo without killing someone. There are plenty of secret agent movies that cater to the desire for hard action, character development and other sophisticated characteristics that QoS has in spades. But Bond does not need these things. He is unique and must remain so. I know that many Bond fans share my view on the latest instalment. I really hope that the holders of the franchise will take note and that Bond really will be back.

Ghost Town

As Rom-Coms go, you could not ask for a better cast than this. The incredibly talented and funny Rickie Gervais, here in a role that suits him down to the ground. He plays Bertram Pincus, a dentist who, to put it mildly, is not a people person. He sneaks out of the office rather than join in the birthday celebrations of his partner. Could there be a more unlikely romantic interest for the terminally cute Tea Leoni? She is always a delight to watch. The story is not terribly original and relies heavily on the now well established routine of someone who can see and communicate with dead people, while the rest of us can’t. The outcome is pretty much predictable from the get-go, but this is of no concern. The characters make this enjoyable. I thought that there wee some comedic opportunities lost in exploiting Pincus’s bizarre condition. So there are not that many big laughs, but overall it is consistently amusing.